United States Senate

E886

The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the U.S. Congress, composed of two senators from each state who share responsibility for making federal laws, confirming key executive and judicial appointments, and ratifying treaties.

All labels observed (16)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (57)

Predicate Object
instanceOf chamber of the United States Congress
upper house of bicameral legislature
clotureThreshold three-fifths of Senators duly chosen and sworn (typically 60)
confirms Cabinet-level appointments
Supreme Court justices
ambassadors
federal judges
contrastedWith United States House of Representatives representation by population
country United States of America
createdBy Article I of the United States Constitution
surface form: Constitution of the United States, Article I
dateEstablished 1789
establishedBy United States Constitution
hasCheckAndBalanceFunction check on executive branch
check on judicial branch
hasCitizenshipRequirement at least 9 years U.S. citizenship
hasCommitteeSystem joint committees
select committees
standing committees
hasElectionCycle staggered
hasElectionFraction approximately one-third of seats every two years
hasLegislativePower power to approve or reject legislation
power to propose amendments to bills
power to propose constitutional amendments
hasMembersFrom U.S. states
hasMembersPerState 2
hasMinimumAgeRequirement 30 years
hasMotto E pluribus unum (shared national motto)
hasNumberOfMembers 100
hasOfficerTitle Senate Majority Leader
surface form: Majority Leader

Majority Whip
Senate Minority Leader
surface form: Minority Leader

Minority Whip
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
surface form: President pro tempore
hasOfficialLanguage English
surface form: English (de facto)
hasPresidingOfficer Vice President of the United States
hasPresidingOfficerTitle President of the United States Senate
surface form: President of the Senate
hasPrimaryFunction advice and consent on presidential appointments
lawmaking
ratification of treaties
trial of impeachments
hasResidencyRequirement inhabitant of the represented state at time of election
hasRule filibuster tradition
hasTermLength 6 years
hasVotingSystem popular vote within each state
impeachmentConvictionThreshold two-thirds of members present
impeachmentRole conducts trials after impeachment by the House of Representatives
legislativeProcessRequires passage of bills by both houses of Congress
locatedIn Washington, D.C.
meetsIn United States Capitol
originalSelectionMethod election by state legislatures
partOf United States Congress
publishesRecord Congressional Record
ratifies treaties negotiated by the President of the United States
represents states as political units
selectionMethodChangedBy Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
sharesLegislativePowerWith United States House of Representatives
treatyRatificationThreshold two-thirds of Senators present

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1,769)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Tommy Tuberville representedIn United States Senate
Public Law 110-343 finalPassageChamber United States Senate
Green New Deal legislativeChamber United States Senate
The Bold Ones: The Senator depicts United States Senate
George Dern officeContested United States Senate
Oregon congressional delegation hasPart United States Senate
Oregon congressional delegation upperHouse United States Senate
United States Senator from New Hampshire partOf United States Senate
104th United States Congress hasPart United States Senate
Daniel S. Dickinson representedIn United States Senate
Daniel S. Dickinson memberOf United States Senate
Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmedBy United States Senate
Riegle memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Donald W. Riegle Jr.
Pluma Lashley memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: George W. Norris
GI Bill legislativeChamber United States Senate
Sanders memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Bernie Sanders
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs chamber United States Senate
Deputy Chiefs of Naval Operations confirmedBy United States Senate
Public Law 88-352 legislativeChamber United States Senate
Dwight W. Morrow representedIn United States Senate
President of the Senate presidesOver United States Senate
subject surface form: President of the Senate of the United States
United States Capitol for Senate duties houses United States Senate
John R. Thomson legislativeBody United States Senate
Public Law 109-280 legislativeChamber United States Senate
Public Law 103-31 chamberInvolved United States Senate
Dirksen legislativeBody United States Senate
subject surface form: Everett Dirksen
Glendale Memorial Gardens, Pekin, Illinois memberOf United States Senate
subject surface form: Everett Dirksen
Tom Leppert ranForOffice United States Senate
Lawton Chiles memberOf United States Senate
Declaration of war on Japan chamber United States Senate
William L. Dayton memberOf United States Senate
General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. confirmedBy United States Senate
subject surface form: Joseph F. Dunford Jr.
George Hearst representedIn United States Senate